Summary: Children whose mothers experienced depression early in their life are more susceptable to socio-emotional problems and a reduction in empathy toward others, a new study reports. Source: Elsevier. Exposure to early and chronic maternal depression markedly increases a child’s susceptibility to psychopathology and social-emotional problems, including social withdrawal, poor emotion regulation, and reduced empathyContinue reading “Maternal Depression Across Child’s Early Years Impacts Neural Basis of Empathy”
Category Archives: brain
The Emergence of a New Dopamine Hypothesis of Schizophrenia
Summary: A collection of studies offers new insight into the role dopamine plays in schizophrenia. Source: Elsevier. Biological Psychiatry presents a special issue, “The Dopamine Hypothesis of Schizophrenia”, dedicated to recent advances in understanding the role of dopamine signaling in schizophrenia. The issue, organized by Anissa Abi-Dargham, MD, of Stony Brook University, New York, andContinue reading “The Emergence of a New Dopamine Hypothesis of Schizophrenia”
Weaker Gut Instinct Makes Teens Open to Risky Behavior
Brain disconnect leaves teen brain less able to judge trustworthiness. Making a snap decision usually means following your initial reaction — going with your gut. That intuitive feeling sprouts from the limbic system, the evolutionarily older and simpler part of the brain that affects emotion, behavior and motivation. But during adolescence, the limbic system connectsContinue reading “Weaker Gut Instinct Makes Teens Open to Risky Behavior”
Delaying Age Related Diseases by Keeping Gut Bacteria in Balance
Why do some people remain healthy into their 80s and beyond, while others age faster and suffer serious diseases decades earlier? New research led by UCLA life scientists may produce a new way to answer that question — and an approach that could help delay declines in health. Specifically, the study suggests that analyzing intestinalContinue reading “Delaying Age Related Diseases by Keeping Gut Bacteria in Balance”
Gut Bacteria Make Pomegranate Metabolites That May Protect Against Alzheimer’s
In a quest to stay healthy, many people are seeking natural ways to prevent neurodegenerative diseases. Recent studies show that pomegranate extract, which is a rich source of disease-fighting polyphenols, can help protect against the development of Alzheimer’s disease. But researchers weren’t sure which molecules to thank. A team reports in ACS Chemical Neuroscience thatContinue reading “Gut Bacteria Make Pomegranate Metabolites That May Protect Against Alzheimer’s”
Combinations of Gut Bacteria Affects Myelin Content and Brain Function
Specific combinations of gut bacteria produce substances that affect myelin content and cause social avoidance behaviors in mice, according to a study conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published today in the medical journal eLife. This research suggests that targeting intestinal bacteria, or their metabolites, could be one way toContinue reading “Combinations of Gut Bacteria Affects Myelin Content and Brain Function”
Store and Supply: How the Brain Saves Time
Summary: A new study explores how neurons adapt their function to respond to stimuli quickly. Source: University of Basel. Neurons in the brain store RNA molecules – DNA gene copies – in order to rapidly react to stimuli. This storage dramatically accelerates the production of proteins. This is one of the reasons why neurons inContinue reading “Store and Supply: How the Brain Saves Time”
Missing link between gut and brain discovered with big implications for disease
Summary: Researchers have identified immune cells in the membranes around the brain that could be a ‘missing link’ in the gut-brain axis. The immune cells also appear to have a positive impact on recovery following spinal cord injury. Source: University of Virginia. A rare and powerful type of immune cell has been discovered in theContinue reading “Missing link between gut and brain discovered with big implications for disease”
Brain Metabolism Predicts Fluid Intelligence in Young Adults
A healthy brain is critical to a person’s cognitive abilities, but measuring brain health can be a complicated endeavor. A new study by University of Illinois researchers reports that healthy brain metabolism corresponds with fluid intelligence – a measure of one’s ability to solve unusual or complex problems – in young adults. The results areContinue reading “Brain Metabolism Predicts Fluid Intelligence in Young Adults”
Can you suddenly develop brain disorders or are you only born with them?
It takes time for the bug in the gut/intestine to wreak havoc in our brains. The fetus aborts itself when not complete or lacking in chromosomes. Some mothers who have taken medications/drugs/alcohol or older alcoholic father have children with behavioral health issues. Nutrition can feed the brain, exercise can stimulate it, and toxic food canContinue reading “Can you suddenly develop brain disorders or are you only born with them?”
Pregnancy changes the brain for as long as two years
(iStock) For the first time, scientists have found evidence of specific and long-lasting changes in the brains of pregnant women. The changes were measured in brain areas that are responsible for social cognition and the ability to understand the thoughts and intentions of others, suggesting that they may intensify maternal bonding with a newborn. The neuroimagingContinue reading “Pregnancy changes the brain for as long as two years”
Noise Sensitivity Traced to Changes in Brain Function
Summary: A new study looks at the way in which noise sensitivity is manifested due to changes in the way in which the brain processes auditory information. Source: University of Helsinki. Some people experience strong discomfort of sounds around them and complain that they suffer from noise. Previous studies have shown that noise sensitive individualsContinue reading “Noise Sensitivity Traced to Changes in Brain Function”
Sirt1 Regulates Proliferation and Regeneration of Glial Progenitor Cells After Injury
Summary: A new study reports Sirt1 can help glial cells to regenerate from progenitor cells in preterm babies with hypoxia related injuries. Source: Children’s National Health System. Preemie brains hold specialized cells in reserve that can repair brain injury suffered early in life. Developing brains in newborns have a sizable pool of a certain typeContinue reading “Sirt1 Regulates Proliferation and Regeneration of Glial Progenitor Cells After Injury”
MRI Scans Detect “Brain Rust” in Schizophrenia
Summary: According to a new study, the brain blocks the ability for creating new memories shortly after waking in order to prevent the disruption of the stabilization of memory consolidation that occurs during sleep. Source: ACNP. A damaging chemical imbalance in the brain may contribute to schizophrenia, according to research presented at the American CollegeContinue reading “MRI Scans Detect “Brain Rust” in Schizophrenia”